Data storage devices, such as disk drives and solid state drives are employed in numerous areas such as computer systems (e.g., desktops, laptops, portables, etc.) and consumer devices (e.g., music players, cell phones, cameras, etc.). User data is typically stored in a non-volatile memory, such as a magnetic disk or a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., Flash memory). In order to enable defect mapping (mapping out of defective memory segments of the non-volatile memory), as well as enable wear leveling in solid state drives, the memory segments are typically accessed indirectly by mapping logical block addresses (LBAs) to physical block addresses (PBAs). That is, host access commands (write or read) comprise an LBA that is mapped to a PBA representing a memory segment, where the PBA may change over time due to relocating from a grown defect, or wear leveling to evenly distribute access to the memory segments.
When a data storage device is powered on, it typically reads system data (defect management, write/read parameters, operating modules) from a reserved area of the non-volatile memory (effectively booting the data storage device). Similar to a personal computer, a data storage device may become unbootable when the system data stored in the non-volatile memory becomes corrupted or unrecoverable due to defects, programming errors, etc. It is therefore desirable to enable a data storage device (e.g., a solid state drive or a disk drive) to complete a boot operation when the system data stored in the non-volatile memory is unrecoverable or corrupted.